Dahanu Road by Anosh Irani, Tabish Khair'sThe Thing About Thugs and Tiger Hills by Sarita Mandanna are also in the running for the accolade, the winner of which will be announced on March 17th next year.

Monica Ali, chair of the judging panel, commented: 'The judges have encountered the best of new fiction from across the region, from India to China, from the Philippines to Japan, and the longlist reflects this diversity.'

Last year, the Man Asian Literary Prize was taken by Chinese author Su Tong for The Boat to Redemption, which was described as a 'picaresque novel of immense charm' by the judging panel.